The Southeastern Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Partnership would like to thank state Rep. Alan Silvia for graciously meeting with several members of the partnership at his Fall River office on March 14.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Partnership is a coalition of concerned health and human service providers. Working closely with family caregivers and the Alzheimer’s Association, we strive to educate and improve the quality of care provided to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

We requested this meeting to discuss the issues Rep. Silvia raised in his Guest Opinion in The Herald News, “Nursing Homes should not be storage units for the elderly.” One of the main concerns raised in the article was the use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes.

Silvia explained to our group that the intent of his piece was to make family members aware of the fact that they should closely monitor the medications that their loved ones are on, and we wholeheartedly agree with this recommendation.

It is important to understand that nursing homes do not always initiate the use of antipsychotic medications. Many individuals admitted to nursing homes with a dementia diagnosis come from the hospital or the community and are already on these medications. In fact, nursing homes are required, by law, to attempt to reduce and in many cases discontinue the use of antipsychotics. Nursing homes are also required to obtain consent from a resident’s legal representative prior to the start of any antipsychotic medication treatment. In extreme cases, these medications must be used in order to minimize the effects of dementia-related symptoms, and they are never to be used for the convenience of the nursing facility staff.

Two members of our Partnership who were in attendance at this meeting had loved ones who suffered through Alzheimer’s disease. They shared their personal experiences about how difficult it was for them to have to place their loved one in a nursing facility, after years of personal care at home. They explained to Silvia that it was the disease that made their loved ones “a shell of themselves,” and not the medications that were prescribed.

We also had a lengthy discussion about the need for increased community services for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in order to keep them at home for as long as possible, especially in light of the projected figure of 15 million people with Alzheimer’s disease in this country by the year 2050. Silvia is aware of the effects of this illness not only on caregivers, but also on our health care system.

We provided Silvia with educational materials for constituents who contact his office looking for resources to help them deal with this illness.

It is a goal of our partnership to work with our lawmakers who can implement legislation that will help improve the lives of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Once again, we thank Rep. Silvia for his time and look forward to working with him in the future. For more information about our partnership and upcoming programs, you may contact us at semapartnership@gmail.com.